Breast Implant Placement

Tampa, St Petersburg, and Clearwater, Florida Breast Augmentation

In designing the best breast augmentation procedure for you, one of the options you will discuss with Dr. Antonio J. Gayoso is the placement of the breast implant. There are two basic options for placement of the breast implant:

• Subglandular (Over the muscle, sometimes called subfascial, placement)
• Subpectoral (Under the muscle, sometimes called submuscular placement)

Tampa breast surgeon Dr. Gayoso performs breast augmentation procedures using both subglandular and submuscular placements. There are pros and cons to each option, and at your initial consultation, we will thoroughly discuss each option so that you can decide which one will work best for you. Ultimately, the decision will be based on your unique needs and aesthetic goals.

Subglandular Placement (Over the Muscle)

With the subglandular placement option, Dr. Gayoso will place the breast implant immediately below the breast gland or fascia, and above the pectoral muscles that line the front of your ribs and chest wall. Subglandular augmentation may be a good option if you  have adequate tissue to produce a natural-looking result with a smooth contour of the upper breast.

The advantages of subglandular placement include:

Because it will move naturally, fill naturally, and age naturally, subglandular breast augmentation can give some women the most natural breast augmentation results.

Limitations of subglandular placement include:

Submuscular Placement (Under the Muscle)

In many cases Dr. Gayoso places the breast implant under the pectoral muscle, which is behind the breast gland. Dr. Gayoso may recommend this if you have a thinner upper breast, making it more likely that the edges of the implant will be visible. The technique adds the thickness of the muscle to the upper breast, which can help provide a smooth upper breast contour.

Advantages of submuscular placement include:

Disadvantages of submuscular placement include:

With submuscular placement, the central and upper part of the implant is actually covered by muscle, but the lower end is still subglandular. This is because the muscle is actually a little higher than the breast. Since the implant must be properly centered behind the nipple, it remains uncovered by muscle at its lower end.

To determine which placement is right for you, please call us 727-895-1515, or email us to schedule your private breast surgery consultation in Tampa, Clearwater, or St Petersburg, Florida.

• No unnatural motion or flexing of the breast
• Better filling out of skin in some cases
• More unified aging (sagging) of the of the breast tissue and implant over time
  • Mammograms may be more difficult to read
  • Potential for greater visibility of the upper edge of the implant
  • Better contour of the upper breast for some patients
  • Potentially lower risk of capsular contracture, hardening of the breasts
  • Potentially less interference with mammograms
  • Slightly greater post-operative discomfort
  • Your breast might change shape or distort when you use your arms and flex your pectoral muscles
  • The implant may not sag over time in the same way the overlying breast does. The result may be that the breast becomes lower than the implant.